Links

Thinking About Gingko

In “Thinking About Gingko?” (March/April 2009), Dan Hurley states that the “benefit of memantine may be as minimal as extending for just a few months the ability of a person with advanced Alzheimer's to us a bathroom independently.”

While I am unfamiliar with this drug, I am a former caregiver of beloved elders. Let me emphasize that even a month of using the bathroom independently is not minimal! The inability to go to the bathroom independently is a major stressor for both the patient and caregiver.

I'm impressed by your publication and have recommended it to others, but I urge you to have greater awareness and sensitivity to the daily struggles faced by patients and those who love them.